Knicks don't expect too much from Curry

GREENBURGH, N.Y. - Eddy Curry's big comeback is already being squelched by the Knicks, who open training camp Tuesday in Saratoga.

Though Donnie Walsh said the 6-11 Curry last week weighed in at 317 - about 40 pounds less than last season - there was noticeable hesitation about just how impressive Curry actually will look when he's back on the court next week.

"I think it's going to take him time to get back into a flow," Walsh said of Curry, who appeared in only two games last season, mainly because of knee injuries that were the result of weight and conditioning issues.

After three months of intense work, Curry rejoined his teammates at the MSG Training Center last week. He has participated in a few scrimmages, but according to several people within the organization, he had to leave a game with a hamstring strain earlier this week.

"I'm not expecting anybody to come out of the gate and we all go, 'Wow,' " Walsh said.

Coach Mike D'Antoni had a far more positive take on Danilo Gallinari, the 2008 lottery pick who finally is 100 percent healthy after a rookie season plagued by a back injury that was corrected by surgery in April. D'Antoni called Gallinari "the best shooter I've ever seen" and pointed out that in the 28 games he played last season, the Knicks were 14-14.

D'Antoni acknowledged that the 21-year-old needs to get stronger, but he also suggested that the multi-talented Gallinari could play a key role in the team's achieving what most people see as an improbable result this season: a playoff berth.

"I think we can fool a lot of people," D'Antoni said, "and I think we can overachieve."

Notes & quotes: David Lee (one year, $7 million) and Nate Robinson (one year, $4 million) were officially signed Friday. Each has a $1-million bonus if the team makes the playoffs . . . Despite an uneventful summer with very little improvement made to the 32-win roster from last season, Walsh seemed pleased to escape the offseason without losing any coveted salary-cap space for next summer's run at free-agent stars such as LeBron James who will be available. "I know that we're going to have a lot of room," Walsh said. "And as of today, I think it's more than anyone else." . . . Darko Milicic, who was acquired on draft night from Memphis for Quentin Richardson, is expected to arrive from Serbia on Saturday.